The sounds of different cars blaring at each other filled the streets of the mysterious city constantly. The reds and yellows from the traffic lights suspended above would create a mesmerizing show for anyone passing by. The odd young girl was no different. She was captivated by the entire city, every inch of it becoming her playground. She glanced down at her bare feet, curling her toes against the pavement. It was a cold day, she knew that. Everyone passing by her was wearing multiple layers of clothes with jackets being the finishing touch. She though, wore a breezy white dress. It had two straps holding onto her shoulders, the white garment ending at her knees. Her inky black hair was loose, two strands framing her forehead. She raised her arms in the air, oblivious of anyone near her, and did a single, delicate twirl. The dress flowed around her before falling back into place. Her feet began to move, her body running through the crowd that was passing by on the pavement. There was a smile glued to her face as she started to slow down, peeking at the stores lining the side walk.
Some had toys on the shelves that reminded her of moments she had spent with her family, her parents hovering over her while she laid on the bed and played with a doll. Other stores had people sitting up on bars against the windows while drinking their warm coffee and milk relaxingly. The girl missed drinking warm milk on days like these. She continued to walk past each store until she reached a book store. There was nothing interesting about the novels they were advertising, she had read them all before. What caught her attention was a boy, younger than her, sitting in front of it. He had his knees pulled up to his small, trembling chest. His arms were wrapped around them, his hands disappearing into gloves. The girl walked over to him silently, sitting down beside him. The boy paid no attention to her, but the girl paid attention to him. Her eyes were fixed on his tiny, round face. There were tears brimming at his eyes, the dried trails of shed tears covering his cheeks. The girl wondered what was wrong with the boy. She saw him look up at a man passing by before reaching for his wrist, tugging on it desperately. The boy whispered a question and the man shook his head before walking away. The boy gulped, pulling his knees tighter against him. The boy had lost his mother among the crowd. He was now lost, waiting for someone to help. The girl stood up immediately, unsure of what she was about to do.
She took a step towards the direction she had come from, hoping the boy would follow her. Turning around she saw the boy looking her way. His eyes seemed to stare straight past her, avoiding her very existence. She stayed still for a moment, hoping the small body would move towards her. Eventually it did, the boy walking right up to her. He was up to her hips, the girl grinning at how young he must have been. She remembered days where she would be separated from her own parents and she’d be as lost as him. They’d always find her though, in the same white hospital room. The boy begun to walk past the girl, the girl trailing along behind him. They passed the coffee shop as well as the toy shop until they reached one that the girl had over-looked. It was a small children’s boutique, the cashier and two other women surrounding a person. They seemed to be trying to calm her down. The girl stepped inside the shop for a closer look, the young boy one step ahead of her. He darted up to the woman who was being calmed down, a wail of relief leaving her lips as she picked her son up. The son cried, wrapping his arms around her neck as the mother kissed him all over. Everyone in the shop smiled for them, happy that the parent and child were reunited. The girl herself felt the corner of her lips crack up into a grin as she strolled out of the store. She noticed that the pavement had gotten colder, her eyes glancing up at the sky for a brief moment. A wave of dim clouds had rolled in, rain drops coming down gently. Each one reflected the appearance of whoever walked by them, all except for the girl. People scurried around; trying to avoid being wet in the cold weather but the girl remained still. Her dress was left dry, as well as her skin. She sighed to herself before putting her hands together like a cup, stretching them out in front of her. The droplets would slip past her skin, just like the people around her would walk straight through her. Although the girl longed to taste warm milk again and the sensation of the winter rain, she laughed to herself…being a phantom wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
